UFC president believes Ronda Rousey will announce retirement soon

Ronda Rousey stands in the cage after Amanda Nunes forced a stoppage in the first round of their women’s bantamweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 207, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Las Vegas.  AP

Although her last two matches ended in brutal knockout losses, Ronda Rousey remains one of the catalysts in catapulting women’s MMA (mixed martial arts) into the mainstream.

But as far as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White is concerned, Rousey may never step foot on the octagon again—this time, for good.

“I think she’s going to retire,” White candidly spoke of Rousey to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim. ”She hasn’t announced that. She hasn’t said that to me, but it’s what I believe.”

The former Olympian judoka’s recent actions certainly point to an early retirement from the sport—refusing to answer any MMA-related questions from the media and instead focusing on TV and movie appearances.

Furthermore, Rousey is the only ranked UFC fighter to have not gone through USADA’s (United States Anti-Doping Agency) mandated testing in 2017, after being tested on nine occasions last year.

Rousey’s first career setback came at UFC 193 in 2015, when she was on the receiving end of a brutal head kick from Holly Holm. She returned a year later but suffered the same fate against current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes.

At 30 years old, Rousey might still have plenty of fight left in the tank but has remained mum about her future in fighting.

She also got recently engaged to fellow UFC fighter Travis Browne and has continued pursuing an acting career.  Khristian Ibarrola. /ra